FAQ: Efficient? I would rather have adjectives like powerful, accurate, deadly, or amazing applied to the cartridges I shoot!
Answer: Those are all desirable things to expect from your cartridge. Efficiency does not preclude such things. In fact it indicates they are all present, with less powder and therefore less recoil. There is no law that the gun must kill on both ends... If you can get the desired ballistic result without the pain of excessive recoil isn't that desirable. It will certainly be more accurate.
FAQ: How do Hawk Cartridges achieve magnum velocity without the recoil?
Answer: This is really two questions. First we should define magnum velocity. Velocities which are substantially greater than the parent cartridge, say 100 to 200 feet per second for the same bullet are magnum velocities. Examples of this would be 243 Winchester vs. the 240 Weatherby, 280 Remington vs. the 7mm Remington Magnum, 30-06 vs. 308 Norma Magnum, 35 Whelen vs. the 358 Norma Magnum, you get the idea. Magnum all too often has come to be equated with extreme velocity, according to the Speer Manual Magnum means, "A load, or cartridge having greater power."
Second, Hawk cartridges achieve magnum velocity via increased case capacity and efficient design. Large capacity "magnum" cases require large amounts of powder to function properly. Hawk cartridges use substantially less powder than your average belted magnum, and powder is a major factor in the recoil equation.
FAQ: Can I have a chamber drawing for one of your Hawk Cartridges?
Answer: We do not publish that information, it's not that we are stingy. We supply dies, headstamped brass, ammunition and a Reloading Manual on CD for Hawk Cartridges. Z-Hat Custom spent a great deal of time and money on the testing and development of this line of cartridges, wouldn't you like the expert to build your rifle?
FAQ: Can I rent a reamer for a ___ Hawk?
Answer: We are happy to chamber your barrel or rifle, supply reloading dies, brass or ammunition for your project. However we do not rent out the tooling for our line of cartridges. We do work for dealers upon request, email for information.
FAQ: How much more velocity can I expect from your Hawk cartridge over my factory ____?
Answer: Take a look at our Hawk Ballistics page to see what to expect.
FAQ: Why do you show Hawk Cartridges in
two basic groups? Is there some difference between the two?
Answer: The 240 Hawk thru 3200 Hawk (8mm) are all based on the 280 Remington case although they can be formed from 30-06. The 280 case is slightly longer and gives you a little more neck length to work with when forming. These cases have a 25 degree shoulder, you can neck a 280 case in your sizing die and fire it in the chamber. No major forming operation in a die is needed. Case capacity in these cartridges was great enough (about 4% above the parent) that we did not feel the need to move the shoulder forward.
The
338, 358, 375, and 411 Hawk are all based on the 06 case although 35 Whelen is
the easiest source of brass for forming. These cartridges are full
wildcats in that they require forming of the shoulder in the die before you can
fire them, no factory ammo can be fired in these chambers. The shoulder on
these cartridges is 17 degrees like the original 06 case. Capacity is
increased about 9% over the parent. We do supply fully
formed brass and ammunition for all Hawk
calibers.
FAQ: How do I go about forming brass for Hawk Cartridges?
Answer: For
Hawk forming instructions, Click Here.
A set of these instructions is included in every set of dies we sell for
Hawk Cartridges.
FAQ: What is the difference between a 375 Hawk, .375 Scovill, and a 375 Hawk/Scovill?
Answer: Ballistically there is no difference. The 375 Hawk has been totally superseded by the 375 Hawk/Scovill. RCBS took it upon themselves to rename the cartridge when Dave Scovill ordered a set of dies for his slightly modified 375 Hawk, he tightened up the base dimension for easy use with 30-06 brass. Click here for the full story. Z-Hat only offers the 375 Hawk/Scovill version, which the Barnes manual and RCBS mistakenly refer to as the 375 Scovill.
